Outlaws
by hocuspocuspocahontas
Summary: This story that takes place just after Bridge to Tomorrow (S5 E13). Karaoke night ends in Rizzles. The characters belong to Gerritsen/Tamaro/Nash. Outlaws lyrics by David Lambert.
1. Chapter 1

"Let me see your list again," Jane said, motioning to me across the kitchen island. "You wanted to do something on my list. There's got to be something on your list that I'll want to do."

I laughed and shook my head. I had pushed the concept of the bucket list in an effort to get to know Jane better. She had jumped off the bridge without a second thought, which terrified me. I was starting to feel like maybe I didn't know her as well as I thought I did and I was going to take any opportunity to change that.

I handed my list back to her, knowing good and well that she wasn't going to like any of the items on it – she'd already read through it at least a dozen times.

"Visit the Lama Temple. What's that?"

"It's a beautiful Tibetan Buddhist temple in Beijing. It has a statue of Maitreya Buddha that is 85 feet tall and constructed out of a single piece of white sandalwood."

"No thanks. The Cave of the Crystals?"

"It's a cave in Mexico that houses some of the largest natural crystals ever discovered. The extreme heat in the cave caused microscopic crystals to form, eventually growing into crystals that are more than three feet long! Isn't that amazing?"

"To you, maybe," she said, shaking her long dark curls out of her face. She sighed loudly. I could tell she was getting frustrated.

"Well, how about something that's not on that list and not on yours either? They just opened a karaoke place up the street from the Robber. What do you think? It could be fun!"

"How about we just hang out here?"

"That's what we always do, Jane! This exercise was to get us out of the same old routine. By making bucket lists, we make goals for ourselves. We make sure we're living our lives to the fullest and doing all the things we really want to do. All I could think of the other night was that there were things I wanted to do with you and I hadn't had the chance yet. When you went in the water, I thought my chance was gone. Now that I know you're here and safe, I want to do those things!"

"And those things include karaoke?"

"Yes, Jane. Tonight those things include karaoke."

"Maura!" she whined.

I stuck out my lip at her in a fake pout. "Jane!" I imitated. "I almost lost my best friend." I knew she couldn't say no to that.

* * *

Half an hour later, we walked into the lobby of Boston Karaoke and were greeted by neon lights and a gargantuan bar.

"At least there's beer," Jane said. "Maybe this won't be too bad."

I spoke with the host, who grabbed two menus and led us to a small, private room off the main hallway. Jane and I sat together on a comfortable sofa and I grabbed the iPad off the table to plan our track list while Jane entertained herself with the drink menu.

"Do you want to do songs from a single genre or decade, or would you rather they be an eclectic mix?" I asked.

Jane grunted without looking up from the menu.

"Well, I'm not going to be singing alone all night. You're going to have to sing sometime. What do you think? Showtunes? Madonna's greatest hits? Songs of the 70s?"

"Whatever you want, Maura," Jane said. "This was your idea."

The door opened and a waiter came in to get our drink orders. Jane ordered her usual Blue Moon and I ordered a glass of chardonnay. I hoped that a beer would loosen Jane up a little bit and get her in the mood to have some fun. I had decided that my goal for the night was to make sure she enjoyed this night out, since she'd been so against going out in the first place.

The waiter returned with our drinks right as the first song started up: Shania Twain's "Man, I Feel Like a Woman." Jane rolled her eyes as I stood up and started singing into my fist like a microphone. I danced around the room and wiggled my hips, determined to get her to crack a smile. By the end of the song, I could hear her starting to hum along.

After a few more songs, and another drink for each of us, Jane was finally starting to sing along with me. We sang our way through Pink's "So What" and Bon Jovi's "Livin on a Prayer" when Jane finally took over the iPad to input a few of her own song choices. Ace of Base started playing and I leaned my head on her shoulder to watch her add more songs. She handed the iPad back to me and got up to go out to the bar and grab us another round. As I scrolled through the song library, I saw a song I'd been listening to a lot lately that always made me think of Jane. I added it to the list with a smile, then sat back and waited on her to return.

"What's that grin for?" Jane asked. "You look like the cat that ate the canary."

"Oh, nothing," I said.

"Hives, Maura," she said, smugly. She knew me too well.

"Okay, okay. I added a song while you were gone."

"What'd you add?"

"Oh, just a song I like. You'll see." My stomach flip-flopped as I thought about it. A secret addendum to my bucket list had been to finally tell Jane how I felt about her. I'd been so sure on the bridge that night that I'd never get the chance. I wasn't going to let another day go by without her knowing. Life was too short to spend hiding my feelings.

As Jane's choices played, she danced around the room, singing loudly. At one point, she pulled me up off the couch to dance with her. I was singing and laughing so much my face hurt. The room got quiet as the sound of an acoustic guitar began.

I sat down on the couch and looked up at her. "I have something I need to tell you, Jane. Something I've been wanting to say for a long time now." I grabbed her hand and pulled her down next to me.

"Sure, Maur. What is it?" she asked.

I smiled and began to sing along with the music: "_I took you at your word when you said you would steal my heart. Now this might sound absurd, but would you be my thief – take all of me, every part._"

My eyes searched her face for a reaction, but I couldn't read one, so I continued: "_Love, love, love is my crime, so, baby, come catch me and let's do the time. I think we might be outlaws. I think I might be in love 'cause I'm all out of reasons, like seasons – winter, summer, fall – they're all washed up. If you're still way over there, baby, slide on in by my side 'cause I'm just an outlaw – wanted – if you want me. I'll love you every day and every night."_

I felt a single tear slip down my cheek and she put her hand on my cheek to catch it. I gasped at her touch.

"Maur. Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I'm saying that I love you, Jane Rizzoli. I'm in love with you. I don't want to spend another day keeping my feelings from you. I was so scared that I had lost you and I was even more afraid that you'd never know how I felt." She stared at me with those big brown eyes that made me melt. "It's okay if you don't…"

She stopped me there with a kiss. Soft and sweet and perfect. She pulled back and looked into my eyes once more. "I love you, too, Maur." Then her lips crashed back into mine.


	2. Chapter 2

A few days later, Jane was standing in my office with her back to me, pretending to examine one of my many tribal masks. She'd been finding any excuse possible to come down to see me during the workday.

"Where'd you say you got this one?" she asked.

I walked up next to her and slipped my arm around her slender waist. "I got that one in Burkina Faso while I was working for Doctors Without Borders. I was assisting Malian refugees in the Mentao camp when I was presented with it. It's an antelope mask, demonstrating the Malian people's reliance on agriculture. It contrasts starkly with this nwantantay mask that represents a flying spirit. The bwa people… What? Your eyes have glazed over." I elbowed Jane in the ribs. "I'm guessing that you didn't actually come down here for a lesson on tribal masks, did you?"

She slid out of my grasp and turned to face me. "No, I didn't. Though I appreciate your enthusiasm. I came down here to see… I mean, I was wondering…"

"You were wondering what, Jane?"

"After the other night, we're kind of – at least I feel like we're…"

"A couple? Yes, Jane, I think it's safe to say that we're a couple."

"Okay. Well, since we're a couple now, would you like to go on a date with me tonight?" She bit her lower lip and looked at me with pleading eyes. All I could think about was running my tongue over that bottom lip, pushing my tongue into her mouth, and tasting her – I looked back up from her mouth and realized that she was still waiting on a response.

"Of course, Jane. I'd love to. Meet me here at 8?"

She nodded at me with a big, goofy grin on her face, then leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. I felt my cheeks flush as a rush of warmth swept through my body. How did I get so lucky?

* * *

Jane walked into my office at exactly 8:00. I quickly finished typing the sentence I was on in my case notes, shut off my recorder, and closed my laptop.

"So where are we going?" I asked, knowing full well that it didn't matter in the slightest what her answer was. Anywhere Jane wanted to go was somewhere that I wanted to be.

"The Dirty Robber. I hope that's okay. I tried to get a reservation at La Bode Truc, but they said they were full."

I grabbed her hand and smiled up at her. "The Robber sounds perfect. Really."

* * *

We sat across from each other in our usual booth at The Dirty Robber. Our waiter immediately walked to our table carrying a bottle of Blue Moon and a glass of shiraz.

"Do you think we come here too much?" Jane asked, laughing. "He knew what we wanted without having to ask."

"Well, this is our favorite place and we always order the same thing. It's not such a surprise that they know what we want by now. In fact, I know what you're going to order: a cheeseburger with extra pickles and french fries."

"Correct. And you're getting… the quinoa burger with a kale side salad?"

"Yes. It wouldn't hurt you to get a kale salad every once in a while, you know."

"I watch you eat one at least three times a week. That's about as close as I'm going to get to eating one myself." She grinned proudly. There was no sense in arguing with her about her eating habits. If it had ever come close to possibly touching a vegetable in a past life, it wasn't going to be eaten by Jane Rizzoli.

"I changed your ringtone today, Maur." She startled me out of yet another daydream.

"Really? No more Chopin's "Funeral March"?"

"Nope." She smiled and started punching buttons on her phone. Her phone started to play a familiar tune: "_Baby, we're just outlaws. Baby, I'm so in love 'cause I'm all out of reasons, like seasons – winter, summer, fall – they're all washed up. If you're still way over there, baby, slide on in by my side 'cause I'm just an outlaw – wanted – if you want me. I'll love you every day and every night." _

I grabbed her hand across the table and brought it to my lips for a kiss. "It's perfect, Jane. I love it."

"I love you, Maura. I must admit, I've been listening to that song on loop ever since you sang it to me. Where'd you hear it?"

"It was featured on a television show I've been watching – The Fosters. I stumbled upon it while flipping through channels late one night and I really got hooked. I find that I connect a lot with one of the characters, Lena, and her love for her wife, Stef. Stef works in law enforcement and finds herself in a lot of dangerous situations."

"I guess I can see how you would connect with that, Maur. I seem to find myself in a lot of dangerous situations, too."

"Yes, you do. You have a tendency to put yourself into harm's way on a regular basis. I don't think I'll ever be really okay with that, but I understand why you do it. You're really great at your job. I just don't want to lose you because of it. Especially now. I love you so much." I squeezed her hand tightly for added emphasis.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere if I can help it. You're stuck with me, Maura."

"Stuck with you sounds wonderful." And it did. I smiled to myself at the thought of spending every day of the rest of my life as Jane's partner. Nothing would make me happier.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm not going to put a limit on this story anymore. Let's see where it goes. :)**

* * *

"Dr. Isles?"

The voice startled me out of my reverie and I looked up to see Susie standing in the doorway to my office.

"Yes, Susie?"

"I was getting ready to head home for the day and stopped by to see if you needed me to do anything else before I left."

"No, Susie, I'm just about done here myself. You're more than welcome to head on home."

"Okay. Dr. Isles? I know it's not really my place to say anything, but are you all right? You've been awfully distracted these past few days. Just now, I had to say your name five times before you noticed me."

Crap. I knew I'd been distracted lately, but I didn't realize it was so obvious. My thoughts had been preoccupied with a certain someone. "Yes, Susie. I'm fine. Just a little tired, maybe. I haven't been sleeping well this week." It wasn't a lie. I hadn't been sleeping. All I could think about was Jane and how I wanted her wrapped around me in my bed. I knew that all I'd have to do was tell her that, but I didn't want to move too fast. I'd hate to look too needy and scare her away. I couldn't imagine a life without her in it.

I glanced up to see Susie still standing in the doorway. "Okay, if you're sure. Maybe you should call it an early night and get some rest."

"Thanks, Susie. I think I'll do that." I closed my laptop, grabbed my purse, and left my office, turning out lights as I left. I got into an elevator and indecision hit. Should I really go home and try to sleep or go up to homicide and persuade Jane to have dinner with me? The butterflies in my stomach told me the answer – homicide.

I heard a familiar voice as I stepped out of the elevator: "No, I'm telling you, Korsak – the Sox are gonna win tomorrow!" I smiled to myself; I knew I'd made the right choice.

As I walked into the bullpen, I could see Jane with her back to me, her arms making big gestures as she argued with Korsak. "Frankie, back me up on this!" she implored.

"I'm staying out of it tonight, Janie. Too much paperwork to get caught up on," the younger Rizzoli said.

Jane looked around for backup and our eyes met. The frustration on her face was instantly replaced with a giant smile. As I smiled back, I felt my heart beat quicken. Yes, I'd definitely made the right choice in coming up here.

"Hey, Maur! Are you headed home?"

"Yes, I'm calling it an early night. Want to come with me? We could grab takeout on the way home."

She turned to Korsak, who shrugged. "Not much else to do on this case tonight, Jane. Why don't you head on home? I'll help Frankie finish up his paperwork."

"Thanks, Vince!" Jane grinned at me as she grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair. She practically ran to me and linked her arm through mine. "Looks like we're good to go, Maur. Now what kind of takeout do you want? I'm starved!"

* * *

Half an hour later, we walked through my doorway with a giant bag of Chinese takeout. Jane walked ahead of me into my kitchen and grabbed a plate for each of us out of the cabinet, then went back for a wine glass. "Maur, what wine goes with greasy mei fun?"

"None. Will you grab me a beer?"

"Sure thing. So, since I chose the cuisine, you get to choose what we watch tonight."

I thought for a minute, then picked a documentary that I had seen several times before – "How about NOVA: Mystery of Easter Island? It's pretty fascinating. Researchers examined the giant Moai statues on Easter Island and tried to replicate the way they were moved around the island using simple machines."

"Sounds great, Maur," Jane grimaced. Her disinterest was what I was counting on. While it really was a great program and, ordinarily, I would have given it my full attention, I had another plan in mind.

As I was getting the documentary started, Jane brought over a plate of mei fun and a bottle of Blue Moon for each of us. We sat next to each other on my sofa, just close enough for our legs to touch. My mind started to race with thoughts of what I wanted to happen tonight and I felt my face flush.

Jane feigned interest in the documentary as we ate our dinner. I made occasional comments about the different positions the statues had been found in and the casting process of creating a sample statue to use in the research. She nodded and smiled at me as I talked, but it was pretty obvious that she wasn't really as interested in the whole process as I was.

Once we had finished our dinner, we moved our plates to the coffee table and I got up to grab a blanket from the closet to cover ourselves with. When I came back to the couch, Jane had laid down and motioned for me to lie down next to her. My heart skipped a beat and I carefully laid next to her with my body turned toward hers.

"You don't want to watch the documentary, Maura?"

"Not tonight. Tonight I want to watch you." I flashed her a mischievous grin and leaned into her for a kiss. I shuddered as I felt her hand slip under the hem of my shirt and rest on my bare back. I tangled my hand in her curls as I deepened our kisses. She put her other arm around me and pulled me completely on top of her, never releasing my lips from hers.

After almost an hour of making out like hormone-fueled teenagers, we finally pulled away. The long-forgotten documentary had ended and left the screen dark. I stood and turned the television off, then walked back and grabbed her hand, pulling it gently. Jane stood up and followed me as we climbed the stairs and entered my bedroom. I went to the dresser and pulled out two pairs of silk pajama bottoms and two tank tops then handed one of each to Jane. She let go of my hand and went into the bathroom to change and I headed across the hallway to the bathroom in the guest suite.

When I came back into my bedroom, Jane had already gotten into bed. She patted the bed and I eagerly climbed in next to her. I looked into her eyes and saw that they were full of love. I'd never felt so happy in all my life.

"Maur?"

"Yes, Jane?"

"Can I hold you tonight?"

"I'd love that. In fact, I'd love it if you'd do that every night."

"Every night – forever?"

"Forever works for me."

I rolled over and felt Jane's body curl around mine. She kissed me softly on the nape of my neck and I felt warm all over.

"I love you, Maura Isles," she whispered.

"I love you, too, Jane Rizzoli." I drifted off into what was sure to be a great night's sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This chapter is rated M.**

* * *

I woke up to an empty bed and the smell of coffee. I turned over into my pillow and smiled when I realized that it smelled of lavender and Jane Rizzoli. Last night was the first night of sound sleep I'd had since before Jane had jumped off the bridge. Having her wrapped around me as I slept was the most amazing feeling.

I heard Jane climb the stairs and enter my bedroom. She sat two mugs of steaming hot coffee on the nightstand and climbed back into bed next to me.

"How'd you sleep, baby?" she asked with a dimpled smile. She was so effortlessly beautiful, even first thing in the morning.

"I slept wonderfully, thanks to you. I could really get used to this."

"So let's get used to it. I know there's nowhere else I'd rather be."

As she leaned in to kiss me, our phones rang. She sighed audibly and rolled over to grab our phones and handed mine to me. We answered them at the same time: "Rizzoli." "Isles."

A body had been found in the park and we were being called to work. It was the first time I felt like I didn't really want to go. We hung up our phones and Jane made a pouty face at me.

"They'll still be dead in half an hour, Jane," I said with a wink as I pulled her on top of me. The weight of her body on mine made me tingle which, by extension, made me blush. Whenever I was with Jane, my hormones went into overdrive. I ran my hands over her taut shoulders and down her back, slipped them under the hem of her tank top, and started to run them back up when she sat up, straddling me. My hands ended up on her sides, still under her shirt, and I began to inch them up her abdomen. Right as my hands brushed against the bottom of her breasts, she surprised me by pulling off her tank. Encouraged by her brazenness, I cupped her breasts in my hands and rubbed her nipples with my thumbs. I felt them become erect and she moaned under my caress.

I sat up slightly to pull my own tank off, then pulled her back down on top of me. She maneuvered herself so that one of her thighs was pushed up between mine and it was then that I realized just how wet I'd become. Jane kissed down the side of my neck to my chest and took a taut nipple into her mouth. My hips bucked against her leg and I felt my eyes roll back in my head. As I spoke her name, she pushed upward with her leg and it came out as a moan.

She looked up at me under hooded eyelids with a wicked smile. In one smooth motion, she sat up, grabbed the waistband of my pants and panties, and slid them off. She kneeled near my feet, then grabbed my legs just above the knee and pushed them apart. She began placing tiny kisses on my inner thighs, inching closer and closer to where I needed her most. When I started to whimper, she looked up at me. "What is it, Maura? What do you want?" she asked.

"I want you to take me, Jane. I want to feel you inside me."

She spread apart my folds with her fingers and looked at me hungrily. I felt myself come at that look alone. When I just about couldn't stand the anticipation anymore, she flattened her tongue against my center and slowly licked upward to my throbbing nub like she was savoring my every drop. Her lips tightened around my clit and she sucked on it gently before releasing. My whole body shuddered as she repeated the same action again and again. My legs started to shake and I felt my orgasm on the horizon. She sensed it too and tightened her mouth around my clit, sucking and swirling it with her tongue. As I neared my climax, she plunged her fingers into me, pounding me faster and faster until I fell apart. She worked me down carefully, expertly, sucking and licking my sensitive spots until I found my breath again.

She laid down next to me on the bed and pulled me in for a kiss. I could taste myself on her tongue. "That was mindblowing,"

"It was pretty amazing," she said. "I've never seen you look so beautiful."

I slid my hand down between us, under the waistband of her pants, and into her panties. As my fingers spread her folds, I could feel how wet she was and it made me smile, knowing that I was the cause. I carefully slid two fingers into her depths and marveled at the little noises she made. I slowly worked my fingers in and out of her while rubbing her clit with my thumb. She started to get wetter and wetter and I felt her muscles start to clench a little around my fingers – the sure sign of what was to come. With my other hand, I pulled down her pants and panties and she kicked them off. I slid down and started to lick my way through her folds, eagerly anticipating her release. I swirled my tongue around her nub and felt her buck her hips slightly into my face. I took her clit into my mouth and began to suck on it and nibble it gently. I curled my fingers up into her front walls and she released, shouting my name. It was the sweetest sound I've ever heard. When her muscles stopped clenching, I removed my fingers and began to gently lick her center, wanting to taste as much of her release as I could. She tangled her fingers in my hair and continued to say my name softly, repeatedly – "Mmm, Maura."

Suddenly her body tensed. "Shit, Maur! We're going to be late!" I sighed. The last thing I wanted to do right now was head into work. I'd much rather spend my day exploring every inch of Jane's body with my hands – and my tongue. Instead, I relegated myself to the idea of work with the promise of continuing my exploration tonight.

She read my mind because she said, "Don't worry, Maur. We've got plenty of time to explore. Let's continue this tonight?" I nodded with a little pout of my own.

"Want to grab a shower together?" I suggested.

"We'd never make it to work, Maur."

I knew she was right. Now that I'd had a taste of Jane, I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off of her. After one more quick kiss, we climbed out of bed, grabbed our now cold coffees, and started our day.


	5. Chapter 5

We took Jane's unmarked cruiser to the crime scene, holding hands the whole way there. I knew it was going to be hard to pretend like things hadn't changed between us while we were at work.

"Do you think we should tell people, Jane?" I asked tentatively.

"Yes, but I think we should pick a better place to do it. We could have a family dinner at your place or get everyone together for dinner at the Robber. Telling them over a dead body at a crime scene wouldn't be the best idea – plus Ma would be upset that she wasn't the first person we told." She had a point.

"Let's invite them over for dinner tonight at my house. That'll be simple enough. The hard part will be keeping my hands off you today. Maybe you can swing by my office sometime and…"

"Maur! It's already going to be hard enough acting like nothing's going on between us. If you keep up this talk, I'm going to have to take you right here in the car and then everyone will know for sure."

Jane parked the cruiser next to the others that were already at the park. She squeezed my hand hard before we had to separate and get out of the car.

We walked side by side over to where the crime scene tape was hung and slipped beneath it. Vince Korsak was standing next to the body and I walked up next to him, then bent down to get a closer look. The victim was female, approximately mid-thirties, with injuries consistent with what appeared to be strangulation. Upon closer examination, I noticed fibers in the wound on her neck and obvious defensive wounds on her hands and forearms.

"Definitely appears to be a homicide. Wounds consistent with strangulation, obvious defensive wounds. Can someone bag these fibers for me?" A crime scene tech collected the fibers from her neck and put them in a small bag for testing. I looked her over again – she was dressed for a run. It was very possible that she was running in the park and was overtaken by her attacker. My mind immediately went to my runs in this very park with Jane. This woman was our age. I imagined the body as Jane for a split second and everything went black.

* * *

"Maura! Maura, are you okay?" I opened my eyes to see Jane leaning over me, her face creased with concern.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm fine." Jane helped me into a sitting position.

"What happened, Maur? One minute you were examining the body and the next you were out – what do you call it? – vasovagal something?"

"Vasovagal syncope. It's a stress response. Just promise me something – you won't ever go for a run in this park alone. Promise?"

"I promise, but Maur, we'll get this perp. It'll be okay. Plus, I know how to defend myself. You know that."

I looked at Jane and realized that she still had her arms around me after helping me sit up. So much for trying to keep things under wraps until tonight. I cleared my throat and looked her in the eye.

"Oh, um, sorry. Let me help you up. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'll be fine. Thanks, Jane." I stood up and brushed myself off, then looked over at Korsak. I saw him look from me to Jane and back again and I could see the wheels begin to turn in his mind.

Just then, Frankie walked up next to Jane. "Hold up, sis. Is that what I think it is?" He moved her hair off the side of her neck to reveal a small hickey. Oops. Jane's hand went up to feel what he was looking at, then her eyes locked on mine in a panic. Frankie just laughed. "Got a new guy, Janie?"

"Uh, something like that," Jane said, blushing furiously. I tried not to laugh. At this rate, there wasn't going to be a need to tell them at dinner – they'd already know.

"Frankie, Vince – would you two like to come over to my place for a little impromptu dinner tonight?" I asked with a smile.

"Sure, Maura. I'll be there. Need me to bring anything?" Vince asked.

"Just yourself. Dinner's at eight."

"I'll be there, too," Frankie said.

Perfect. Now we just needed to invite Angela and we'd be all set.

* * *

When we got back to the precinct, we walked to the bank of elevators and waited for one side by side. When an empty one opened, Jane and I got in and waited for the doors to close. In less than a second, her lips were on mine. She pinned me up against the wall and pushed her tongue deep in my mouth, kissing me passionately.

The elevator dinged as it reached the morgue and we separated. I smoothed out my clothes and stepped out into the hallway. "See you later, Jane," I said with a grin.

"I'll be down here for lunch," she replied and winked at me. Then the elevator doors closed as she went up to the bullpen.

* * *

When Jane came down to spend her lunch with me, I was finishing up the autopsy on Sophie Marks. There had been no signs of sexual trauma and all of her injuries were consistent with strangulation, just as I had thought. She had clawed her attacker, so I was hoping that we could find her attacker based off the DNA in her fingernail scrapings. The lab was still working on the fibers, but they appeared to be some sort of nylon rope.

I got Jane caught up on my findings then went through my office to my private bathroom to get cleaned up. Jane surprised me by following me into the bathroom. She locked the door behind her and rushed to me, pulling my scrub top up and off of me. "I haven't been able to think of anything but you all day," she breathed.

"I know what you mean. I'd touch you now, but I've been elbow deep in a body. I need to shower."

"Let me help," she said, stepping past me to turn on the water in the shower stall. I watched as she stripped down completely, then helped me out of my scrub pants, bra, and panties.

We stepped into the shower stall and Jane grabbed the loofah and body wash I always kept in there. I closed my eyes and relaxed under the hot water as Jane carefully scrubbed my arms, chest, and abdomen, then skipped down to scrub my legs. "Jane!" I whined at her.

"Oh, did I miss something?" she said, pushing me up against the wall of the shower stall. She pressed her naked body up against mine and began to kiss my neck. She slipped one hand between my legs and started to gently caress my folds. "Is this what you wanted, Maura?" she asked.

"Yes," I said huskily.

She slipped her fingers inside me. "You're soaking wet, Maura. Is this all for me?"

"Yes, Jane. It's all for you, baby." I watched as she dropped down to her knees and pushed her tongue into the space her fingers had just vacated. I bit my lip and grabbed onto her head with both hands, willing her to stay right where she was. She pushed her tongue deep into me, before licking her way up to my throbbing nub and back down. It didn't take long for me to fall over the edge. After my muscles stopped contracting, she stood and kissed me deeply, giving me a taste of myself. I began to run my hands down her arms and she stopped me.

"You can reciprocate tonight, baby. I just needed to taste you again. It's all I could think about. You taste so good."

I shut off the water and we stepped out of the shower and helped each other dry off. We both pulled our damp hair up in ponytails and got dressed to go back to work. Jane looked at her watch. "Well, that's lunch. I've got to get back, Maur."

"Aren't you hungry, Jane?"

"I just ate exactly what I wanted, Maura," she giggled. I felt my face turn bright red.

We stepped out into my office and I realized that she hadn't even brought down a lunch to eat. "Was this what you had planned for lunch?"

"I was hopeful," she said. She leaned in to give me a quick kiss. "I love you, Maur. I'll come down in a bit and we can leave together. And I talked to Ma – she can come tonight."

"That's great. I'll see you then. I love you, Jane." She left to go back upstairs and I sat down at my desk. I needed to do case notes on the autopsy, but for just a minute, I decided to sit and relish in my thoughts of what had taken place over the past week. So much had changed but it was all changing for the better.


	6. Chapter 6

Jane came down to my office when it was time to leave for the day. The lab had come back with details on the fibers found in the wound on Sophie's neck. They confirmed that it was a type of nylon rope that was commonly used for rock climbing. The DNA I had found under her fingernails was a cold hit on CODIS – it matched a convicted felon who had recently been released from prison after serving time for several assaults. Jane confirmed that two officers were on their way to arrest the perp as we spoke.

"See, Maur, we got him. Nothing to worry about," she said with a smile.

I tried to let that calm the worry inside of me, but in reality, I knew it'd always be there. Jane was a homicide detective. Putting herself in dangerous situations really was in her job description. It also made her, as she said, a bit hard to love.

I slipped my arms around her waist and pulled her to me for a gentle kiss. "Let's go tell our family about us." The Rizzolis really had become my family too over the years. Officially becoming part of their clan was sure to be wonderful.

* * *

When we got to my house, Jane started warming some ravioli from our big ravioli making night the week before, and I busied myself making a salad. At 8:05 the doorbell rang – everyone arrived at once. Korsak had brought a bottle of wine and Frankie had brought a six-pack of beer. They came in and sat down on the couch, flipping the television on to a sports channel. Angela came into the kitchen to help us get dinner ready.

"Is there a certain occasion we're celebrating tonight, girls? It's the middle of the week," she said pointedly, looking back and forth between the two of us.

"You'll see, Ma," Jane said.

Once dinner was ready, we all sat down to eat and everyone was quiet at first.

"So what's this all about?" Angela insisted.

"Well, we – Jane and I – we have some news," I started. I looked at Jane for help. She reached out to grab my hand.

"Yes. Ma, Frankie, Korsak… Maura and I are… dating." She leaned over and kissed my cheek, then squeezed my hand and smiled at me.

"It's about time!" Angela said, laughing. We all began to laugh and I breathed a major sigh of relief.

"That's wonderful!" Vince said. He raised his wine glass and made a toast: "To Jane and Maura!"

I reached over and wrapped my arms around Jane, pulling her into a big hug.

"So, Janie, that hickey was from Maura?" Frankie asked. I felt my face turn bright red and I noticed that Jane's did the same. She elbowed Frankie in the ribs and everyone laughed. After so many years of being on my own, between my adoptive parents' detachment and all the drama involving my biological parents, I finally felt like I'd found my family. This was the place where I belonged.

* * *

After everyone had left, Jane and I straightened up the kitchen and headed upstairs to my bedroom. After a hot shower, we curled up together in my bed. I stared into Jane's beautiful chocolate eyes and was overwhelmed with my love for her. I felt tears start to well up, then slip down my cheeks. Jane reached over to catch them as they fell.

"Maura. My sweet girl. What's the matter?"

"I'm just so happy to be yours, Jane. I spent so long second-guessing my feelings. I should have told you a long time ago that I was in love with you."

"It's okay, Maur. We have the rest of our lives to love each other." She pulled me over for a hug and I rested my head on her chest. "So, I've been thinking. You told me how you felt about me through a song." I nodded against her chest. "I have a song for you, too, Maura," she said. She quietly began to sing to me: _"When I see myself, I'm seeing you, too. As long as I remember it, I'm feeling like I knew. My jokes aren't funny, the truth isn't true if there was no you. If you were my boat in the deep, blue sea, I'd probably sink you down. I know I should've thanked you for carrying me, but for you I would happily drown. All along your way, the darkest night, the longest day. I know what to say to make you laugh. And nothing you could do could make me turn my back on you. When you're looking for a fight, I'm your man. When you need a friend, you've got my hand. What I really mean, what I'm trying hard to say, is that I'm counting on you and you've got me, too. My secrets aren't safe, I'm singing out of tune if there was no you. If there was no you."_

"It's perfect, Jane. I love it. And I love you." I nuzzled my head into her chest and she hugged me tightly against her.

"I love you, too, Maura," she said softly. We drifted off to sleep in that same position, wrapped in each other's arms.

* * *

**A/N: "If There Was No You" lyrics by Brandi Carlile.**


End file.
